Mexico weekly ledger., 1887-05-05
for the love of teaching. vgr4ou-

found out what each student had
given, and two years later sent each
one a gold ring of value equal to the
part each paid.
/ Apropos of his apparel and -eccen
tricities. In whatever community h'
preached, his esp and snit of gray
Jeans were subjects of remark AT
! ter the war closed, he went to Louis
/ Tenn. a noble, successful merchant
| in Helena, Ark, attributes his sue
cess in life to Mr.. Stoddert's influence
over him in the church and school,
room. He was converted under MIR
Stoddert's ministry, and was received
Louisville, KY, the other at Trenton,
vile, KY, and bought him a new sui
of broadcleth. Astonishment was
felt by all when he was seen on
certain Sabbath day, walking along
the aisle of Lewisburg Presbyterian
church in his unusual attire, and an
nounced his hymn in the pulpit.
| How vain are all things here below
How false, and yet how fair.
/ His host remarked he had heard
very little of his sermon, because his
memory was SO busy. He had be
fore heard Mr.. Stoddert preach il
that aid other places, but that day
| for the first time, recalled his fea
lures and manners seen many years
before. So, after dinner, DIR. M
said:
"Mr. Stoddert, were you ever in
Nashvil,s, Tennessee?
"Yes," (said Mr.. Stoddert) pass.
ing his right hand over his face in 8
peculiar way, "Yes, L preached there
nineteen years ago for DIR. Edgar, IN
the First Presbyterian Church. My
text was, 'Hallelujah, for the Lord
God omnipotert reigneth.'"
II thought So" [said DR.. M.,) Il
was in the church that night on my
way TO Louisville. KY, to study med
icine, and made note of it here,
holding up a note book. But l never
recalled it until to day, as / saw you
preaching in your new suit
Mr.. Stoddert was man of won-
derful attainments in many directions.
He read with facility the Hebrew,
Greek, Latin, French, German and
Italian-taught the most difficult and
abtruse mathematics with pleasure
was perfectly at home in philosophy
chemistry, logic, rhetoric, universal
, history, etc. His language in con-
versation was pure, but rugged, and
his power of repartee wonderful, yet
his written addresses were euphenic
and novel-having read many of the
best of novels of the past, and the
present day. He was greatly averse
to being ordained to the full work of
the gospel ministry, and it was only
q short time before he left Giles
county that he took upon himself
the VOWS of the holy ministry.
Mr.. Stoddert was very eccentric.
At one time one of our ministers
called on him on his way to his
charge in Pulaski, spent considera-
BILE time in conversation with him,
and remarked, as he bid him good
day:
Il should like to spend several
days with you, at some future time"
Mr.. Stoddert quantity remarked,
II shouldn't like for any one to spend
more than an hour soith me-
When the writer was an evangelist
in his presbytery, he received an ex-
cellent letter from Mr.. Stoddert, ad-
dressed to him CAT LARGE"
Once the writer was assisting the
sainted Rev. w. e. Caldwell, of
Bethany, in Giles county, in pro-
tracted services. 1t had rained just
before service time, for three days.
On Monday morning Mr.. Stoddert
came to Bethany, twelve miles from
home, "to see how the meeting came
on" and was standing near the
church son the hill" with the pastor
and the writer, when dear Brother
Caldwell, of precious memory, re-
marked:
"V-, I believe it is going to
rain the meeting OUT" when Mr..
Stoddert remarked, in his peculiar
way:
ssIf the Lord wants to rain bis
meeting out, let him do it. He loves
his meeting better than his preach
ers."
During the war. there were few
men left to keep up the Sabbath
school at Brick church. An excel
lent lady took up the work and car,
ried it on. At the close Of one days
Sabbath school work, she called on
each one to repeat verse OF Scrip
Eture. Mr.. Stoddert came into the
church leisurely, and was asked by
Mrs. r. to repeat verse. In a mo-
ment he rose, and said: Il suffer
not a woman to teach in public, nor
to usurp authority over the man"
The writer will conclude the
sketcb by remarking he never knew
an eccentricity Of Mr.. Stoddert that
,rss m not good. "The righteous shall
he in everlasting remembrance.
On April 1st, last S. ]. Craig, of
Auxyasse, bet o. p. Jones, Of the
same place, that the Inteliigencer had
a larger circulation than the LEDGER.
Er.nos won his money. by betting On